24/7 emergency electrician in the Phoenix Valley

Some situations are bigger than an electrician. Call 911 first if there are flames, smoke you cannot trace, or someone has been shocked and is hurt. Do not touch a person who may still be in contact with the source of the shock. Turn off the power only if you can do it safely.

Stay far away from a downed power line, and assume it is live even if it is not sparking. Keep people and pets away from it and from anything it touches, like a fence, a car or a puddle. Call 911 and your utility, APS or SRP depending on the address. If a line falls on your car while you are inside, stay in the car and call 911. Only get out if the car is on fire, and then jump clear with your feet together so you never touch the car and the ground at the same time.

If the whole neighborhood is dark, or you see sparking at a pole or transformer, report it to the utility. Call us when the problem is on your side of the meter.

A burning or hot plastic smell with no obvious source, an outlet that sparked and went dead, or a panel that feels hot or is buzzing are all reasons to call right away. They can be signs of a loose or failing connection that is overheating. In the Valley, years of summer heat cycles can work connections loose over time.

If the panel is dry and cool and you know which circuit is involved, turn that breaker off and leave it off. If the panel itself is smoking, sparking, hot, wet, or smells like it is burning, do not touch it. Get everyone out of the house and call 911 if there is smoke or fire, and never use water on an electrical fire.

Do not keep resetting a breaker that trips again as soon as you turn it on. That trip is the breaker doing its job, and forcing it back on can make the problem worse.

When half the house loses power, or some rooms go dark while others still work, the cause can be on either side of the meter. Start by checking the APS or SRP outage map or calling them, since a problem on the utility lines can take out part of a home. Then check your panel for a tripped main or branch breaker, and press reset on any GFCI outlets in the kitchen, bathrooms, garage and outside.

If lights get brighter in some rooms and dimmer in others, or appliances start acting strangely, turn off sensitive electronics and call right away. That pattern can point to a loose or failed neutral connection, which can damage equipment and overheat wiring.

When we arrive, we trace the problem to the breaker, the panel, the meter-main or the service conductors. If it turns out to be utility equipment, we help you report it.

Monsoon season runs from June 15 to September 30. Microbursts and high winds can pull overhead service wires off a house, bend the mast that holds them, or drop a tree limb into the lines. Lightning can damage panels, outlets and equipment even without a direct hit.

If wires are down or hanging, treat them as live, stay away, and call 911 and your utility. The utility handles its own lines. Damage to the mast, meter base or panel on your house is usually the homeowner's to repair, and the utility may not restore service until it is fixed. Some of those repairs also need a city or county inspection first.

We make the equipment on your side safe, repair or replace it, and coordinate with APS or SRP and the inspector so power can be restored as soon as the utility allows.

Monsoon flooding, a burst supply line or a failed water heater can put water where it should never be. That might be inside a wall, under a panel, or across outlets and cords on a garage floor.

Do not walk into standing water if outlets, cords or appliances may be in it. Do not touch a panel that is wet. If the panel is dry and you can reach the main breaker while standing on a dry floor, turn it off. If you cannot, stay out of the area, call your utility to disconnect power, and then call us.

Once the water is gone, have the affected circuits checked before you turn them back on. Outlets, breakers and wiring that got wet may need to be replaced, even if they seem to work. We test what was exposed and tell you what can stay and what has to go.

When you call 602-935-7971, we will ask what you are seeing, hearing and smelling, and walk you through making things safe while you wait. If anything you describe sounds like a job for 911 or the utility, we will tell you.

A few rules apply to almost every electrical emergency, whatever caused it. Following them keeps your family safe and keeps a bad situation from getting worse before an electrician gets there. If a rule below would mean stepping into water or reaching past something hot, skip it and wait outside.

Call right away for burning smells, smoke, sparking, a hot or buzzing panel, partial power loss, flickering that affects the whole house, water near electrical equipment, or storm damage at the meter. Losing power to the AC during a Phoenix summer can also be urgent when older residents, young children or pets are at home.

A single dead outlet, one light that will not turn on, or a GFCI that trips once and resets fine can usually wait for a regular appointment. If you are not sure, call 602-935-7971 and ask.